ING PR > Canadian Forces Pxoto BY Becky BOOTH Two soldiers stand proudly for a picture in front of the army recruitment center during career day, held on March 9 at UNBC. MH SPORT SHORTS Welcoming the Madness ADAM HUSSEIN SPORTS COLUMNIST When I was deciding what to write about for my column this week, I had two main choices: pro basketball or college basketball. Since my last col- umn was on the NBA, I decided to go with college basketball. The main rea- son though, was that when the college basketball tournament comes around each year, it becomes the center of my universe. The tournament is called March Madness. It is probably called this because of all the upsets that occur, but for me it is March Madness hecause it turns the last week of the month into absolute madness for me. For example, I spend at least four days trying to make my picks for the pool that I go into with my friends. I also spend those four days writing out all kinds of different things about the games that are coming up. I know I am crazy. I have a sickness, and, unlike the common cold, it can- not be helped with any medication. The tournament starts on a Thursday, and I was making definite plans to stay home from classes that day. Unfortunately, my teachers teamed up to make that impossible thanks, in part, to two assignments I have to hand in, followed by a quiz. Needless to say, I was increasingly dis- traught over this. a Making the picks for this tourna- ment is an impossible task. Really it is. You have a better chance of going back in time and saving the two hours you lost watching The Village. There are 64 teams in the tourna- ment, that gives you 63 games, and 48 of them are played in the first four days. No one will ever get all 63 games right. Nonetheless, every year thou- sands of people try. The truth of the matter is that there is a 100 percent chance your sheet of picks will be sent through a shredder after the first week- end. “I know I am crazy. I have a sickness, and, unlike the com- mon cold, it cannot be helped with any medication.” If I do ever get the entire tourna- ment correct, however, I will be retir- ing and moving to the Bahamas because, really, what more could I pos- sibly accomplish in my life? All the experts come up with all kinds of rules and predictions for the tournament. I don’t have any rules because I know I will never be able to follow them. If you make last minute changes, however, you will regret it. I am more certain about this than about the fact that I should seek professional help for this addiction of mine. Since this is my first year of univer- sity, I am used to this tournament beginning during spring break. Unfortunately, I am stuck in school during the tournament this year, and I have actual homework-related obliga- tions. In fact, along with the many things my teachers intricately planned out for the first day of the tournament, my other two teachers are giving out two tests the Monday after the four day barrage of games. This brings up the age old question, how do I watch the games and still get enough study- ing done to not fail those tests? The answer is of course: I do not know. Normally baseball games or basket- ball games only take up a few hours a night, so I can manage them easily. For the first time ever though, this sporting event is taking up four complete days. Since I have no idea how to handle this, I would just like you all to say a tiny prayer that I was able to survive it all with my sanity and grades, at least partially, intact. This is the point. in a pre- playoffs/tournament article where I would normally make my predictions. I cannot very well give all of my 63 predictions, so I will simply force myself (only on day three of four) to give my prediction for the four teams that will make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Since I am only on day three, however these predictions are subject to, and likely, to change. Final Four goes like this: Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Duke, North Carolina. Then North Caolina defeats Oklahoma State in the final. } 10 MARCH 23, 2005 Poetry Rocks like Bon Jovi Have you heard what UNBC'’s creative writing students are tormenting about? On Thursday, March 24, seven UNBC writers will be sharing their work here on campus. We have six of our most dedicated student poets performing: Hardy Friedrich, Earson Gibson, Jesse Haber, Kim Bonnell, Jennifer Schwehr, and Justin Foster. Headlining the event is Dr. Rob Budde, a UNBC English professor and accomplished poet and novelist. Free coffee... Come check it out! 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